~ Serving with MAF in Timor-Leste

“White man’s rules”

Another area of culture that we are currently reflecting upon at the moment is the place that rules play in our lives. The world of aviation contains probably more rules than any other sphere of life that I have encountered. As a pilot’s wife I must admit I don’t understand them all, just enough to get the general idea of what Jason and other pilots are talking about. Rules dictate when pilots can fly, how much fuel, baggage and people can be carried on the plane, how much fuel must be on the plane, when flying starts and stops for the day (hours of daylight), and so on.
None of this is new to me as I have listened to Jason plan his flights according to these rules for over a year now. But what is new for us is the challenge of explaining these ‘white man’s rules’ to the people we live and work with. How do you explain that eventhough the passengers have paid for 7 people to fly on the plane, you can only take 6 due to weights of the passengers, without causing offence? Or that the plane cannot fly to that place because the flight would go past last light, the pilot’s curfew time? (eventhough it is still partly daylight then to the average observer) Another challenge is the issue of timeliness, because the passengers were an hour and half late for the first flight, that makes it too late for the second flight to happen.
Just like we are discovering that our body clocks don’t quite fit with our neighbours here in Numbulwar, the rules that govern Jason’s flying don’t quite fit either. Please pray for Jason and Rachel (the other pilot here) as they try to explain these rules of aviation and flight safety to their passengers. Pray that Jason and Rachel would be able to follow these rules without offending or causing shame to their passengers and those we are wanting to serve.